Stronger Than Blood (Teaser)
by AnimeWolfGirl16
Summary: When the imperial capital of Insomnia is invaded by the Niflheim forces, King Regis can only think of one way to save the Line of Lucis, by sending the young prince away. Things don't go as planned however, leaving the young Prince in the care of an elderly woman and a new brother named Prompto. (Teaser)


**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, etc. from Final Fantasy XV. It all belongs to its respectful owners.**

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' _Stronger Than Blood' Teaser_

" _Sir! The soldiers have breached the palace gates!" A man dressed in silver armor burst through the doors at an alarming speed, quickly kneeling before the King and Queen. The already troubled minds of the rulers became even more so at the news._

" _And what of the Kingsglaive?"_

" _They've all fallen. Those that remain alive are struggling against the tides, Sir." A muffled curse left the King's mouth as he glanced towards where a young boy sat rubbing his eyes. Half-lidded eyes stared back at him unknowing about what was going on, most likely curious but too tired to ask. Regis glanced back at the soldier before him, the man's head still bowed._

" _Try to hold them off as best as you can. I'll join you shortly."_

 _At the King's words the soldier glanced up sharply, his pride and duty at war with themselves._

" _But Sir-!" Regis cut the man off with a look, waving his hand in exasperation at what must be done._

" _I understand the risks and what you think of things, but this is our country. We cannot just let it fall to invaders!" The soldier bowed once more, realizing his mistake before straightening up, his arm crossed over his chest in salute._

" _Yes Sir!" At that, the man glanced over to where a woman was consoling the young boy before leaving. Regis sighed, one that was full of worry, before turning towards where his wife was. Her dark brown hair, one that could almost be called black if looked at the wrong way, was left down, except for a small braid down the middle. Her eyes mirrored his own, one full of worry for what might become of the kingdom and family._

" _Regis, what's going to happen?" Despite the question that the woman asked, he knew that deep down she already knew what must be done. Which was why they both had to steel themselves for what was to come. Taking a deep breath, he hugged both of them, trying to put a smile on his face and make the worry disappear._

If this is the last that I get to see him, I want him to remember the happy times…

" _Everything's going to be fine." He backed away a bit to get a look at both of them. It was clear that their son still didn't understand the gravity of the situation._

Can I blame him though? He's only a boy.

" _Noctis." It was clear from the way that the five-year old straightened up that his mind had abandoned sleep, focused intently now on what his father had to tell him. The action made a small chuckle come out of the King's mouth as he bent down towards his son. "I fear I have left too much unsaid. You place a great burden on those who would bear with you." Blue-eyes stared up at him in confusion at his father's words, his small mouth opening as if to ask a question. The man stopped him by ruffling his son's hair, as if to reassure him once more before continuing. "Take heed. Once you set forth, you cannot turn back. I need only know that you are ready to leave home behind." The last part was said almost more as a whisper, causing the man to shake his head a bit at the absurdness of his question. Nor could the boy answer him, nor would he be ready._

He's too young to understand, but someday…

" _Take care on the long road ahead. Wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you." The raven-haired boy looked confused but nodded nonetheless at his father's words. Regis pulled him in for one last hug, before pulling away and clasping his son on the shoulder, tears forming in his eyes. "Walk tall, my son."_

Wherever life may lead you, I pray that it will give you happiness…

 _He stood back up, moving towards his wife next. Tears threatened to overflow as she stared at him, her honey-colored eyes glancing back and forth between him and their son. He pulled her in for a hug which she willingly returned, clutching to him as if he could give her strength._

" _It's his only chance." He whispered, stroking her long hair, trying to bring comfort._

" _I-I know… it's just… I w-wish that…" He silenced her, his finger hovering over her lips as he nodded in agreement with her words. They both wished the same thing, and yet it seemed that fate had decided to take it away from them._

" _I understand but it must be done, Aulea." He heard her take a shuddering breath before they released each other, both nodding in agreement once more. She moved on next to their child, with Regis moving to stand a little bit away. He had already said his goodbye, now it was her turn and he didn't want to be in the way. He glanced up when he heard a sharp tap on the door, before it gradually opened._

" _You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" Regis walked over to the man who had entered, his mind made up._

" _Cor, I need you to do something for me…" The more Regis explained, the more the man, Cor, seemed conflicted. The King had known that the man might react negatively to the request and didn't seem fazed when the outburst began._

" _But sir! My duty is to defend the royal family! I can't just leave!" Regis held up his hand, seeing the man's frustration at the order._

" _I understand, but your duty is now to guard Noctis." He glanced over when he heard brief chanting coming from where Noctis and Aulea was, a halo of light surrounding their feet. "Aulea and I won't be making it out."_

 _The brown-haired man's lips tightened at that, as if ready to protest that they had a chance if they all left. Regis knew when Cor's expression fell that he had resigned himself to the task. This man had seen the horrors going on out there better than the King had; known what chances they had at escape._

If only there was more time…

" _Regis… it's done." He glanced at his wife as she came up to him, carrying a now sleeping Noctis. The boy unconsciously clung to his mother in sleep; as if only in dreams did the he understand what was happening. The King smiled briefly, moving a bit of his son's hair away from his face, although the boy didn't stir. He turned once more to Cor._

" _I trust that you will do what you can." The man glanced between the parents and then the child before placing his hand across his chest in salute._

" _Yes Sir!"_

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 _The plan had been going smoothly. At least, that's what both Ardyn and Iedolas had thought as the palace had been swiftly taken. Until the soldiers had come back with a report._

" _The prince is missing!?" The elderly man's fist, although older he might be, still caused the desk to crack as his fist collided with the wood in anger. He glared over at the maroon-haired man leaning against the palace walls. "You said that you had things under control?!"_

 _Ardyn merely shrugged, still looking quite unconcerned._

" _So what if the boy has gone missing? Surely you know it will only be a matter of time before he is found? No Caleum can hide for long."_

 _Despite the man's assurance, it did little to aid the Niflheim King's nerves. No country can be taken completely without their line being extinguished…_

" _Besides, we now have the Crystal. That should make things easier."_

" _How did things go so wrong…?" The unanswered question left Cor's mouth as he continued onward towards where a thin stream of light could be seen. Not many knew of the secret pathways underneath the Kingdom of Lucis, the privilege given to only a select few._

Hopefully no one followed… _The man winced slightly when he turned at another fork in the road. Blood was steadily dripping from a cut in his side, not deep enough to kill him but if left unattended for too long…_ There's no time to stop however. The injury can wait.

 _Cor glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms. The Prince hadn't woken once since leaving the bedroom, almost as if in some enchanted sleep. Relief seemed to fill him when he noticed that the boy was also unharmed._

Who would have thought that there would have been traitors in Lucis…?

 _That was the reason as to why the man was now injured, taken by surprise when one of the guards suddenly turned on him in the dark. It was a known fact that not many could injure the guardian, but a traitor would easily catch the man off guard long enough to inflict injury…_

" _And to think that they've stayed hidden this long… how could we have missed it?" The question went unanswered once again, causing the man to shake his head at the strangeness of the situation. He froze momentarily, glancing around warily as something felt off about the air._

Traitors lead to leaked secrets, but who could have been high up enough to know…?

 _His body stiffened up at the familiar feel that the air changed to, causing the man to leap away from where he was standing. His balance was off due to the wound and the exact time that a spell went off behind him, the blast just catching him enough to make him stumble slightly. He regained his footing, leaning against the wall for support as his eyes glanced feverishly around the small area._

That was magic… but how? _It was a known fact to the guard that only the royal family had access to that level of spells. Even the Kingsglaive, who were said to be able to harness the Crystal's powers through the King didn't have this much talent._

" _Who's there?" His stance became wary as a figure stepped into the light, twirling what looked to be some sort of umbrella._

" _No one of importance really." The person who stepped into the light of the dissipating fire spell bowed towards them, straightening a moment later to give them both a wide smile. Maroon hair peeked out from under a black hat, the umbrella tapping against the stone floor as he drew closer. "So you're the one who smuggled the Prince away…"_

 _Cor turned away from the light, gently laying the raven-haired boy behind him before stepping towards the man._

" _Your eyes must be playing tricks on you." Cor replied casually, drawing out his sword. "There's no one else around."_

 _The man merely laughed at Cor's statements, one that was full of mirth as he continued to stare at where Cor had laid Noctis out of sight._

" _Oh really now? I thought that yours might be because of the fire? Or is it the wound?" Cor lunged at the man, his sword swinging in an overhead arc towards the man's face. Amber eyes glared at the brown-haired man, with his opponent merely sidestepping before tapping Cor on the back with his umbrella. The soldier swung around, ready to face the man once more, confusion hitting him when his opponent was no longer there._

" _And here I thought we could have a civil conversation. Oh well…" Light blue eyes whipped over to where he had laid the boy. The black-clothed man was only inches away from the sleeping Prince, with the man bending down as if to study the oblivious child. "You see… I'm going to need you to relinquish your hold on the Prince. He's quite important to what I have planned…"_

 _The unnamed man had begun to reach out, as if to awaken the sleeping boy, but was stopped by a hand clutching his wrist. Cor's face was a mask of anger, using his strength to wrench the man away from the five-year old._

" _I'm afraid I can't do that." The maroon-haired man only sighed, as if not surprised by the soldier's response. "Who are you anyways?"_

" _Well since I suppose that you won't be making it out of here, you should at least know my name…"_ _The man took a step away from Cor, bowing slightly before straightening up once more. "Ardyn. Ardyn Izunia."_

 _A faint glimmer of recognition shone from Cor's eyes, causing the marshal to back up closer to Noctis._

" _The Imperial Chancellor… if you're from Niflheim then how can you use magic?" It was clear that the blue-eyed man was trying to buy time to escape, but it seemed that Ardyn merely humored him._

" _You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The maroon-haired man merely snapped his fingers, igniting a fire behind Cor, effectively cutting off the escape route. "But I guess that's something you'll have to wait to get your answer to. I have much more… pressing matters to deal with."_

 _Both men charged each other at the same time, with Ardyn now armed with a sword as well, their swords sending sparks as they hit one another. Each time one tried to attack the other, their strikes were blocked, although it did seem that the Niflheim chancellor had the advantage. They clashed once more, with their swords locking together this time, each trying to gain an advantage over the other._

" _You know, why not just give up? I mean, it's not like you're going to win anyways." With that said, the Imperial Chancellor seemed to vanish before Cor's eyes, the weight that he was pushing against vanished as well, causing the man to stumble._

What-!?

 _He had little time to think, merely trying to regain his footing before something smashed him in the back of his head, causing the man to go down, his vision dark. With Cor momentarily disabled, Ardyn walked around the man, almost as if taunting him._

" _Like I said, you're no match for-." Whatever his opponent had been about to say was suddenly cut off by the man glancing over towards where the Prince was. Golden light seemed to be streaming from the wall behind the young boy, out as if a protective barrier. Both seemed to know what spell this was, each lunging towards where the Prince was. Ardyn seemed to back up a bit from the intensity of the golden light as it glowed brighter, covering the Prince from sight as he vanished from the underground tunnels, leaving both men behind._

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" _And henceforth, the Prince is saved from the Darkness with aid from the Oracle…" The young girl cut off as she began to cough, falling to the ground as the golden light that had been streaming from her hands vanished. She heard a gasp from one of the maids in the room, as well as footsteps as her coughing increased._

" _Lady Lunafreya! What on earth were you doing?" Hands began to reach for the nine-year old but the girl held up one of her hands to stop the maid. The blonde had sat up slowly, her other hand to her throat._

" _I-I'm fine... I'm alright…" Her breathing slowly began to even out, causing the girl's eyesight to steady on the small pool of red blood on the ground before her._

I've done it again…

 _She heard another gasp, as well as a pause before the maid began to hurry towards the door._

" _I'll go get your parents! Just wait here!" She heard the door close rather loudly. She could feel pain beginning to spread throughout her body, almost like a virus, causing the young girl to clutch her hands to her chest._

" _You shouldn't have interfered…" The melodic voice that came from a woman standing in the corner caused the girl to look up. Jet-black hair framed the woman's face while olive green eyes stared down at the girl. The child's eyes, which were normally a light blue, were now glowing purple as she tried to calm the flow of magic from going out of control. "…Stella."_

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 _Blue eyes blinked open blearily at the world around him._

Where… am I? _The thought popped into his head as the raven-haired boy looked around. Trees extended far past the child's head, and as far as he could look. He shivered slightly in the cold, his breath coming out in white clouds as he breathed. Night seemed to have fallen, causing the boy to cast a nervous glance around him._

" _Hello?" Nothing answered him other than the sounds of a few peaceful night creatures._

 _In order to try and warm himself up, the boy rubbed his arms slightly wondering why he was in clothes meant for warm weather. His footsteps crunched in what seemed to be snow as he walked, trying to find a place to get out of the cold. Moonlight shone down from the sky, stars floating around, oblivious to the boy's plight. A few times he would stop and glance around, certain he had heard something following him, before continuing when he couldn't see anything._

It's cold… _His eyes focused on a small light ahead, the yellow beckoning him forward. He continued walking, now more reassured now that he knew someone else was here besides him. In his haste to get out of the cold, he began to run, tripping over the roots of the trees that passed underneath._

" _Oww…" The exclamation left the boy, causing him to frown as he glanced down to make sure his feet were ok. He cautiously got up, testing the weight on each foot to make sure nothing hurt. Sure that he was fine, he began to move back towards the house, but stopped when pain suddenly flooded him. Blue-eyes widened in surprise as a gasp left him at the sudden affliction. The young boy stumbled slightly as his vision caved, the light shining around the dark edges in his vision. He hadn't even realized that he had reached the door until he fell against it, a light thump coming from hitting the wood. He felt himself falling when the door suddenly opened, surprising the person inside._

" _Hey, are you ok?" The voice belonging to the owner didn't sound that much older than himself. The person helped him to sit up, before moving to run back inside the house, shouting something. The last thing the raven-haired boy saw were locks of blonde hair._

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 **So this is a teaser for a story idea that I had after beating Final Fantasy XV (not quite sure how this idea came out of that ending but it did :).) As the summary states, it gives you a little idea about what direction this is going in when the full story comes out. Feel free to leave comments or questions and I'll try to answer them when I have time.**

 **-AnimeWolfGirl16**


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